What is BS EN 15550-Determination of cadmium and lead in animal feeding stuffs about?
BS EN 15550 is a European standard that serves technical specifications for determining cadmium and lead in animal feeding stuffs, to prevent heavy metal poisoning in animals.
BS EN 15550 specifies a method for determining the elements cadmium and lead in animal feeding stuffs by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) after pressure digestion.
BS EN 15550 method was successfully tested in the range of 0.015 mg/kg to 5.65 mg/kg for Cd, and 0.18 mg/kg to 40.3 mg/kg for lead in 11 animal feeds: two complete feeds (pig feed, sheep feed), two complementary feeds (two mineral feeds), one mineral premixture, four feed materials (MgO, two phosphates, CaCO3) and two feed additives (CuSO4, bentonite).
In the BS EN 15550 method, to determine extractable lead in minerals and feeds containing phyllosilicates (e.g. kaolinite clay), wet digestion with dilute nitric acid should be used.
In BS EN 15550 method, the limit of quantification for each element is dependent on the sample matrix as well as the instrument. For cadmium, a limit of quantification of 0.05 mg/kg should normally be obtained, while for lead, a limit of quantification of 0.5 mg/kg should be obtained.
Who is BS EN 15550-Determination of cadmium and lead in animal feeding stuffs for?
BS EN 15550 on the determination of cadmium and lead in animal feeding stuffs applies to:
- Manufacturers of animal feeds
- Dealers and importers of animal feeds
- Testing labs for animal feeds
- Quality assurance services
- Regulatory bodies
Why should you use BS EN 15550-Determination of cadmium and lead in animal feeding stuffs?
Animal feed is the food fed to domestic animals, particularly livestock, in the course of their care. Animal feeds contain different nutritional contents that promote growth and provide nutritional value to animals. Cadmium and lead are heavy metals found in animal feeding stuffs that are detrimental to animal health.
BS EN 15550 provides users guidance on principle, reagents, apparatus, sampling, preparation of the test sample, procedure, calculation and expression of results, precision, and test report, enabling detection, assessment and prevention of feed contamination.
BS EN 15550 provides users guidance on graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) after pressure digestion method to determine cadmium and lead in animal feeding stuffs. BS EN 15550 also provides users with a step-by-step procedure for the method, enabling users to do the method correctly.
With obedience and compliance of BS EN 15550, users can limit the presence of heavy metals such as cadmium and lead according to required regulatory requirements.